THE GREENLAND WHALE. 157 



have no means of regaining their native element, and are sure to perish 

 miserably from hunger. 



When the Whales breathe, they are forced to rise to the surface of 

 the sea, and there make a number of huge respirations, which are 

 technically called " spoutings," because a column of mixed vapor and 

 water is ejected from the nostrils, or " blow-holes," and spouts upward 

 to a great height, sometimes as much as twenty feet. In order to enable 

 the animal to respire without exposing itself unnecessarily, the " blow- 

 holes " are placed on the upper part of the head, so that when a whale 

 is reposing itself on the surface of the sea, there is very little of its 

 huge carcase visible, except the upper portion of the head and a part 

 of the back. The " spoutings " are made with exceeding violence, and 

 can be heard at some distance. 



The limbs of the AVhales are so modified in their form that they can 

 hardly be recognized by their external appearance alone as the limbs 

 of a veritable mammal. In shape they closely resemble the fins of 

 fish, and it is not until they are stripped of the thick skin which envelops 

 them that the true limb is developed. They are, in fact, abnormal 

 developments of the legs in order to suit an aquatic life, just as are the 

 wings of the bat for an aerial life. The chief use of these organs 

 seems to be that they assist the animal in preserving its position in the 

 water, for the huge carcase rolls over on its back as soon as it is depriv- 

 ed of the balancing-power of its fins. They are also employed for the 

 purpose of grasping the young whenever the mother Whale is anxious 

 for the safety of her offspring, but they are of little use in urging the 

 animal through the water, that duty being almost entirely performed 

 by the tail. 



The skin of the Whale is devoid of hair, and is of a rather peculiar 

 structure, as is needful to enable it to resist the enormous pressure to 

 which it is constantly subjected at the vast depths to which the animal 

 descends. The skin is three-fold, consisting first of the scarf-skin, or 

 epidermis ; secondly, of the retemucosum^ which gives color to the 

 animal ; and thirdly, of the true skin, which is modified in order to 

 meet the needs of the creature which it defends. The blubber, indeed, 

 is nothing more than the true skin, which is composed of a number of 

 interlacing fibres, capable of containing a very great amount of oily 

 matter. This blubber is never less than several inches in thickness, 

 and in many places is nearly tw^o feet deep, and as elastic as caoutchouc, 

 offering an admirable resistance to the force of the waves and the 

 pressure of the water. In a large Whale the blubber will weigh 

 thirty tons. 



The Greenland Whale, Northern Whale, or Right Whale, 

 as it is indiflTerently termed, is an inhabitant of the Northern Seas, 

 where it is still found in great abundance, although the constant persecu- 

 14 



